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 During the Algerian War of Independence,
the return to power of Charles De Gaulle raised the hopes of French
colonists -- colons -- and the professional military with his exclamation of "Vive Algérie française" (long live French Algeria) in June 1958. However, in a September 1959 statement, de Gaulle dramatically reversed his stand and uttered the words "self-determination," which he envisioned as leading to majority rule in an Algeria formally associated with France.
Claiming that President de Gaulle had
betrayed them, the colons in Algeria, backed by units of the army, staged
an insurrection in Algiers in January 1960 that won mass support in
Europe. As the police and army stood by, rioting colons threw up
barricades in the streets and seized government buildings. In Paris, de
Gaulle called on the army to remain loyal and rallied popular support for
his Algeria policy in a televised address. Most of the army heeded his
call, and in Algiers General Challe quickly defused the insurrection. The
failure of the colon uprising and the loss of many ultra leaders who were
imprisoned or transferred to other areas did not deter the militant colons
from further resistance against what they perceived to be the French
government's willingness to grant Algeria independence.
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